IB Security Assistant Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Three tiers

Tier I: 100 questions, 100 marks, 2 hours

One mark each, 1/4 deducted for a wrong answer, nothing for a blank.

Tier II: 50 marks, qualifying only

You need 20 out of 50, the same for every category with no relaxation. Tier II marks don't count towards merit: fail it and you're out, pass it well and you gain nothing.

Tier III: interview, 50 marks

No cut-off. Everyone who appears in Tier II is provisionally admitted.

Final merit

Tier I (100) + Tier III (50). The interview is a third of the total, which is a lot for a Group C post. Shortlisting after Tier I and the printed cut-offs are under Cut-off details; the tie-break order is under Result details.

The advertisement names the four Tier I parts and their question counts, and gives no topic list beyond that.

Tier I

• General Awareness: 40 questions. Twice the weight of any other part.
• Quantitative Aptitude: 20 questions, at matriculation level.
• Logical and Analytical Ability: 20 questions.
• English Language: 20 questions.

Tier II

A 500-word passage translated both ways between the language or dialect you claimed and English, plus a spoken assessment at the interview. It tests sustained translation, not vocabulary, and there's no way to cram it.

Tier III

Interview and personality test, 50 marks. Field experience in intelligence work is listed as desirable, which is the only hint about what the board looks for.

Education

Matriculation (10th class pass) or equivalent from a recognised Board. The result must be declared on or before the closing date.

Language

You must read, write and speak one of the local languages or dialects listed against the SIB you apply to. It's an eligibility condition.

Some centres have one language: Ahmedabad is Gujarati, Chennai Tamil, Trivandrum Malayalam, Bangalore Kannada. Others have long lists. Jammu is Dogri, Gojri, Kashmiri or Urdu; Ranchi is Hindi, Bangla, Odia, Santhali, Ho, Mundary, Oraon/Kurukh, Kharia, Khortha, Nagpuri, Kurmali, Panch Pargania or Urdu; Leh is Ladakhi, Tibetan, Balti, Dokpa, Dogri, Kashmiri, Urdu, Shina or Purgi.

Age: not more than 27

• 5 years relaxation for SC and ST; 3 years for OBC.
• Up to 40 years for departmental candidates with 3 years' regular and continuous service. This covers Central Government civilian employees in civil posts only, not PSU, autonomous or statutory body staff.
• Up to 35 years (general) and 40 years (SC/ST) for widowed, divorced or judicially separated women who have not remarried.
• Relaxations also for ex-servicemen, candidates domiciled in J&K between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 1989, and children and dependants of victims of the 2002 communal riots.

Service liability

All India transfer liability. Only apply if you're willing to serve anywhere in India.

Appointment

Temporary at first. You must complete training to be confirmed, and final selection also depends on character and antecedent verification and a medical exam.

Disability provisions

The 2018 advertisement said these posts weren't reserved for any category of physically handicapped persons. Identification of posts for PwBD is revised from time to time, so check the current advertisement.

1. Apply to exactly one SIB. Applications to more than one centre are summarily rejected, and the choice is final.
2. Tier I, objective, 100 marks. You may not get the exam centre you asked for, but you still compete for your SIB's vacancies. Candidates opting for SIB Srinagar sit Tier I at Jammu.
3. Shortlisting at 10 times the vacancies, subject to the Tier I cut-offs.
4. Tier II, translation (40) plus spoken ability (10). Qualifying only, 20 out of 50 for everyone.
5. Tier III, interview, 50 marks, no cut-off.
6. Character and antecedent verification, then medical exam.

Merit = Tier I + Tier III. Tier II decides whether you stay in, not where you rank.

Dates, times and venues for Tier II and Tier III come by email to the address in your application.

The 2018 advertisement gives the pre-revised scale: Rs 5,200–20,200 in PB-1 with Grade Pay of Rs 2,000, plus admissible Central Government allowances, and notes it was under revision by the 7th Central Pay Commission. Grade Pay Rs 2,000 corresponds to Level 3 of the 7th CPC pay matrix.

Check the current advertisement for the current figure. The post carries All India transfer liability.

Fee

Rs 50, paid only by male General and OBC candidates. SC, ST, ex-servicemen and all women are exempt.

One exception: an ex-serviceman who already holds a regular Group C civil job under the Central Government through ex-servicemen reservation does pay, and can't use the reservation again, though age relaxation still applies.

Where to apply

Online only, on the MHA website or the NCS portal.

Rules that end an application

• One application only. Multiple applications may cancel all of them.
• One SIB only.
• The closing date isn't extended under any circumstances, and the portal gets busy near the end. Register early.
• Wrong information in any column can get you rejected.

Photo and signature

Uploaded as a single file of 50 KB or less. You sign admit cards and attendance sheets later, and a signature that doesn't match can make you ineligible. A different photo can cancel the candidature too.

Paying the fee

Online or offline, only after one working day from registration. Offline means a printed challan and cash at any State Bank of India branch.

Tier I is held at the centres listed against each SIB.

• You may not get the centre you asked for. IB tries to place you nearby, and you still compete for your own SIB's vacancies. Centres can be cancelled or added, and candidates moved, on administrative grounds.
• Candidates opting for SIB Srinagar sit Tier I at Jammu.

Tier I may run in several shifts where numbers are large. Tier II and Tier III may not be held at every centre; candidates from nearby centres can be grouped together.

IB doesn't run this on a fixed calendar. An advertisement appears when vacancies are notified, on the MHA vacancies page, and the dates come with it.

Age, education and category are judged on the closing date. Vacancy counts are provisional and are given SIB by SIB, and the dialect lists change between cycles, so take both from your own cycle's advertisement.

Admit cards and call letters come through the application portal. Tier II and Tier III dates go by email to the address in your application, so keep that inbox working for the whole cycle.

Follow the admit card's instructions on entry, exit, conduct and frisking. Not doing so cancels the candidature. You sign the admit card and attendance sheet at each stage, and the signature and photo must match what you uploaded.

Results are published on the MHA website and the recruitment portal.

The final merit list is Tier I plus Tier III, 100 marks plus 50.

Ties are broken in this order: total of Tier I and Tier III; then Tier I marks; then Tier III marks; then date of birth, older first; then alphabetical order by first name.

Selection is then subject to character and antecedent verification and a medical exam, and confirmation needs completed training.

The advertisement prints the Tier I cut-offs in advance:

Ex-servicemen are treated as their own category. These are floors. The real cut-off can go higher with the marks and vacancies, and shortlisting at 10 times the vacancies stops at these floors, so fewer may be called.

Tier II: 20 out of 50 for every category. Tier III: no cut-off.

Vacancies run from single figures to hundreds per SIB, so the real selection cut-off differs a lot between centres. IB doesn't publish those final figures.

1. Choose the SIB first. It fixes your language, your vacancy pool and your competition, and it can't be changed. Vacancies ran from 6 to 228 across centres in one cycle.
2. Be honest about the language. Tier II is a 500-word passage translated both ways, plus a spoken test. Recognising a language isn't the same as translating it against the clock.
3. General Awareness is 40 of the 100 Tier I marks. That's where Tier I is won.
4. Don't over-prepare Tier II. You need 20 out of 50 and nothing more counts. Put the time into Tier I and the interview.
5. Take the interview seriously. It's a third of the final merit.
6. Mind the 1/4 penalty. Four wrong answers cancel one right one. With floors of 33 to 35 out of 100, guessing doesn't pay.
7. Register and pay early. The fee can't be paid until a working day after registration, and the closing date doesn't move.
8. Sign the same way every time. You sign at every stage against the uploaded specimen.

Ministry of Home Affairs: mha.gov.in

MHA vacancies: notifications and vacancies

National Career Service portal, the other official application route: ncs.gov.in

The 2018 Security Assistant / Executive advertisement (PDF): SA/Exe advertisement, MHA

Apply only through MHA's website or the NCS portal. IB warns candidates against anyone promising appointment.

Who conducts this exam?

The Intelligence Bureau, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Applications go through mha.gov.in or the NCS portal only.

What qualification do I need?

Class 10 or equivalent, with the result out by the closing date, and one of the local languages or dialects listed for the SIB you apply to.

Can I apply to more than one centre?

No. Applications to more than one SIB are rejected, and your SIB can't be changed later.

Do Tier II marks count?

No. You need 20 out of 50 to stay in. Final merit is Tier I plus Tier III.

How much does the interview count for?

50 marks against Tier I's 100, so a third of the final merit. There's no interview cut-off.

What are the Tier I cut-offs?

UR 35, OBC 34, SC and ST 33, out of 100. They're minimums; the real cut-off can be higher.

What is the age limit?

27, with 5 years' relaxation for SC and ST and 3 for OBC, plus further relaxations listed under eligibility.

What is the fee?

Rs 50, for male General and OBC candidates only. Everyone else is exempt.

Is the posting local?

No. The post carries All India transfer liability.

Is the appointment permanent?

Temporary at first. Confirmation needs completed training, plus verification and a medical exam.